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The hiring of Shadrach Kabango is either a fantastic move or a looming disaster.

There is never much grey area when Canadians discuss the CBC. This became clear again this week after the public broadcaster named Kabango, a rapper who goes by Shad, as the new host of its flagship arts and culture radio show, Q.

If “polarizing public opinion” were a source of revenue, the CBC could hire half of Canada and still have enough cash left over to build a lunar bureau. On the CBC’s website, a story about the Q appointment was followed by hundreds of comments, ranging from “Shad is a great choice” to “Q is now officially dead to me.”

This much is clear: Shad was not a safe choice.

Or as Peter Mansbridge, chief correspondent of CBC News, tells me: “I think it’s a bold move. On the one hand, turning the page. And on the other, continuing to break the mold. I think it’s exciting and wish Shad nothing but good things. I think he will bring a whole new energy — not just to that program — but to the whole radio schedule and hopefully the entire CBC itself.”

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Yes, hopefully. Beset by budget shortfalls, staff layoffs, doom-and-gloom, shakeups in the executive suites and the lacerating Jian Ghomeshi scandal, the CBC needs new energy the way Toronto once needed a new mayor.

Enter Shad, a 32-year-old emcee who in 2011 beat Drake to win the Juno for Rap Recording of the Year and whose musical influences are decidedly eclectic: from A Tribe Called Quest to The Roots, Black Moon to Pat Boone. In his new life, which officially begins April 20, Shad beat out a list of candidates that at one point topped more than 250 names, according to sources.

While he didn’t land the job right after guest hosting on Q for a week in late January, the rookie exposure did perk up the ears of management. His interviews were at times awkward and uneven. But his ability to connect with disparate guests — including actress Evangeline Lilly, curator Jordan Wilson, comedian Mary Walsh, cartoonist Art Spiegelman, comic Dave Gorman, stand-up Norm Macdonald — was quickly seen as key in the reimagining of Q.

“There were some really beautiful moments in many of the interviews,” says Cindy Witten, interim executive director, Radio and Audio, CBC Radio. “I would say I didn’t arrive at the decision at that point. But I certainly liked what I was hearing.”

By February, with ongoing market research and focus group testing, the rotation of guest hosts was closing in on double digits, including Brent Bambury, Wab Kinew, Tom Power and Piya Chattopadhyay. There were internal debates: Did Q need a polished broadcaster? Or someone with bona fides inside the arts community, a diamond in the rough, someone who could be polished into a future star if flanked by a crackerjack team of producers and writers, a la Ghomeshi?

Ultimately, the choice was this: artist or journalist?

“I think it’s great, I really do,” says Chattopadhyay, who was told in December she was not on the short list. “I’m not trying to put a brave, nice spin on it. You’re always disappointed when you don’t get a job. But the reasoning for choosing a Shad over a traditional journalist, if I can put myself in that camp, is one with lots of merit. They wanted someone steeped in arts and culture.”

The challenge for Shad will be in finding his voice without alienating core listeners. While tasked with bringing in new listeners — read: younger listeners — Shad must still service the show’s existing audience. He will also need to block out the inevitable comparisons to Ghomeshi who, before the ugly charges surfaced last fall, was widely beloved.

This can be a daunting battle for any radio personality, but it’s especially pitched inside the CBC.

“I replaced Peter Gzowski on This Country in the Morning,” recalls Michael Enright. “It was like replacing the Pope. It didn’t work out very well. I was fired after the first season. I replaced Gzowski again on This Morning, with Avril Benoit as co-host. Replacing an established host is dodgy. Comparisons are always made and they are always odious. It takes at least a year to earn an audience’s trust.”

Shad was born in Kenya and grew up in London, Ont. He has degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University and Simon Fraser University. But after listening to some CBC insiders talk about him — “smart,” “witty,” “compassionate,” “empathetic,” “funny,” “curious” and “humble” are popular descriptors — it seems he was picked, in large part, for the sheer force of his personality.

“He does happen to be one of the most authentic, lovely people I’ve met in my life,” says Witten. “I think I can say that without even knowing him that well. He’s a special human being. He cares about all the right things and wants to make a difference in the world.”

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